Oregon wildfire brings evacuations in key eclipse area
SISTERS, Ore. — Evacuation orders were issued for about 600 residents in a prime eclipse-viewing location in Oregon threatened by a wildfire that has closed access to part of a wilderness area.
Fire officials said Saturday another 1,000 residents near the tourist town of Sisters have been told to be ready to leave if necessary. No structures have been lost and no injuries have been reported since the fire began last week in central Oregon. The cause is under investigation.
Elsewhere, fire officials in Montana ordered additional evacuations Friday night after earlier telling residents of 750 homes to flee a fire that jumped control lines. The 44square-mile blaze is burning southwest of the town of Lolo.
On Monday, fire crews in Oregon will have to contend
Yosemite blaze forces Wawona residents to leave
A blaze in Yosemite National Park forced residents of the small Mariposa County community of Wawona to evacuate Saturday, officials said. The South Fork Fire, which began last Sunday east of the town, has burned 2,903 acres, according to federal fire officials. The fire picked up overnight because of windy conditions and has caused officials to order residents and visitors in Wawona to leave. Crews continued to battle the fire, which was 10 percent contained as of Saturday morning. The cause is under investigation.
— Hamed Aleaziz, haleaziz@sfchronicle.com with the solar eclipse that officials say will ground all firefighting helicopters and most fixed-wing aircraft for about 35 minutes as the moon’s shadow passes over the area.
Sisters is located on the southern edge of a 70-mile swath of Oregon where the moon will completely blot out the sun. Shopkeepers were hoping the fire would not inhibit business as tourists arrive to watch the eclipse.
“If you look up at the sky it’s not an orange cloud anymore,” said Andrew Bourgerie, coowner of Sisters Bakery. “So it’s simmering down a little bit.”
Some campsites and recreational areas were shut down due to the 12-square-mile wildfire in Deschutes National Forest that jumped fire lines Friday.
Officials say the blaze is producing heavy smoke while burning in forests at higher elevations and sagebrush in lower areas.
Officials said only aircraft with instruments allowing them to fly at night can fight the fire during the eclipse. Fire spokeswoman Lisa Clark said that eliminates the bulk of firefighting fleet, though large air tankers will be able to fly.
Clark said firefighters are benefiting from the previous removal of brush and debris that could have fueled flames.
Gillian Flaccus is an Associated Press writer.